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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23716489">Discovering Mewtwo</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliasprick/pseuds/Aliasprick'>Aliasprick</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>When Ash is 25 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:46:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23716489</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliasprick/pseuds/Aliasprick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On the way to recollect back the missing adventure of Mewtwo, a separation happened between Ash and Gou to fit Giovanni's evil intention.</p><p>In the timeline of Fated meeting that blossoms.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gou/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>When Ash is 25 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Late Start</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I've been here before…" it was like luminous; like he was dipping and moving through the lucid current of time. </p><p> </p><p>It felt like flying except he was not really flying but embodied in the stream of glowing dust. Like a dream. </p><p> </p><p>"I've been here before. This is…" the current stopped on a piece of island with green lushes as a carpet. His feet implanted on the ground and he saw light strobes falling down from the sky. </p><p> </p><p>Somehow, the light began to take shape on the island, drawing curves and crafts of a palace, visible but permeable, like it was just showing an illusion of something that used to be there. </p><p> </p><p>"This place is…" </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"This place is…" Ash murmured softly and his hands began feeling around for something close to him. With his fingers roaming around, he settled on whatever underneath the blanket and dragged it closer. </p><p> </p><p>"I've been here. Before…" </p><p> </p><p>"Don't pull on my hand Ash", complained his bed partner, Gou, still sleeping when he said it. </p><p> </p><p>Pikachu, who nestled between them, sleepily yawned and crawled down the bed to avoid the wrestling. He went up to the alarm clock and snoozed beside it. </p><p> </p><p>"Before here… A palace…" he tugged Gou's hand with an iron grip until the other just shot up in pain from the excessive tugging. Even Pikachu was startled and whipped his head to see what was going on. </p><p> </p><p>"Why are you gripping my hand like that?" Gou angrily said but when he turned to argue with Ash, he saw that the other was still sleeping. </p><p> </p><p>"What the hell is wrong with you today?" </p><p> </p><p>"Here… Here…" </p><p> </p><p>Gou cusped his pained wrist after letting the grip loose but while it hurt him, he couldn't help but to smile. </p><p> </p><p>"Sleep talking. How cute". </p><p> </p><p>The alarm went off but Ash was still asleep. Pikachu was about to slap his tail on Ash like every other morning but this time, he was stopped by Gou. </p><p> </p><p>"This is a rare morning. I will never get a chance like this often since I'm also not a morning person. You can slap him any other day but today, let me wake him up". </p><p> </p><p>Pikachu jumped down the bed and he and Cinderace left the room before they started puking rainbow for what about to transpire.</p><p> </p><p>When the two pokemon were not in sight, Gou leaned forward and poked Ash's cheek. </p><p> </p><p>"Hehe. You won't see this coming". He pursed his lips and landed smooches on Ash face. Then Ash's hand gripped the side of his neck and their lips locked together. </p><p> </p><p>It caught Gou by surprise when Ash tilted his head and deepened the kiss, pulling Gou lower and turning their position the other way around where Gou was now trapped between the mattress and Ash who was smirking at him albeit looking rather roughed from his bed head. </p><p> </p><p>"Were you awake the whole time?" asked Gou. </p><p> </p><p>"Not until you started to shower me with smooches. Were you tempting me?" </p><p> </p><p>"No, they were just innocent kisses!" </p><p> </p><p>"Really? Those kisses don't feel innocent at all". </p><p> </p><p>"Well, not that I am against continuing that hot session just now". </p><p> </p><p>They were about to continue lip locking when Koharu walked in to wake the two idiots up. She covered her bright red face but leaving gaps to peek through her fingers. </p><p> </p><p>"You two… G-get a room!" she stuttered. </p><p> </p><p>"We are in our room". Gou pointed out. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn't the first time Koharu walked into that kind of scene and it won't be the last. </p><p> </p><p>The girl told them they were needed in the lab lobby before running out in embarrassment. </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, professor", Gou walked into the room with Ash not too far behind. They were fully dressed in their lab clothing and Professor Sakuragi greeted them both. </p><p> </p><p>"Good morning boys. Hope you had a good night sleep. I can't wait to share with you the latest pokemon discovery that we have in our hand. No… The best way to describe it is… There has been a lead to something perverse in the erroneous pursuit of knowledge about Pokemon", Professor Sakuragi laid it out on the floor with excitement. </p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean, professor?" Gou asked curiously. </p><p> </p><p>"In the past, we know that there are studies that… can cross the acceptable ethics".</p><p> </p><p>"Sometimes when we want to pick a subject of a study, we must question whether it is within the ethical ground or beyond it". </p><p> </p><p>"But there are times, somebody will pursue the unethical study in secret. While it is unethical, their discovery will provide us with more window of understanding about pokemon". </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, we understand that but what's this lead you're talking about?" asked Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm talking about this group of researchers", he showed a picture of a team of researchers standing in what seems to be a lab site. </p><p> </p><p>"This team is a group of researchers who's studying about pokemon DNA and cloning. Their lab was destroyed one day and those who survived couldn't remember why they were there at the lab site", the professor explained. </p><p> </p><p>"But based on the officer's investigation, the lab explosion does not relate to any system malfunction or any attempt of arson. Isn't it weird? No one remembered why the incident happened and no one remembered anything about their research study". </p><p> </p><p>"It's such a peculiar case that I had gone to the archive and tried to see if there were leads that could help me understand the impossibility of the incident". </p><p> </p><p>"And look what I've gathered", the professor showed them a picture of a paper with Amino acid sequence. </p><p> </p><p>"It seems, they were studying genetic sequences that do not relate to any of the pokemon species that ever existed. I've run a screening against all of the genetic sequences but only hit error. Perhaps, they'd had an encounter with a pokemon that we don't know yet and because of it, the lab was destroyed and the researchers , they lost their memory". </p><p> </p><p>"Wait, that was cool and all but what should we do about it?" asked Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"I want you to find it. This pokemon". </p><p> </p><p>"But where do we start?" </p><p> </p><p>"Right here, at the jetty to the New Island. Check this weather pattern. Once, there was a huge storm but then it turned into a bright day just a few minutes after that. This area never had a pattern as strange as this before and what makes us believe that it relates to the lab destruction is because of how close the date between the two events and how close the lab proximity is to the jetty. They were only a week apart time wise and a few kilometres away from each other". </p><p> </p><p>Ash looked at the map. "Feels like I've been there before… Right, with Brock and Misty. We somehow ended up at the jetty oddly enough". </p><p> </p><p>"Oddly enough, you don't have a purpose to be there but you were there…" Gou rubbed his chin, thinking deeply. </p><p> </p><p>"Ash, maybe something did happen and you were there to see it happen. If… If we can trace back your part of the journey, maybe we can find the pokemon", Gou speculated. </p><p> </p><p>"Then that means, we can discover a pokemon we've never seen before! Alright professor. We'll set out immediately". </p><p> </p><p>Ash chuckled half heartedly as he was dragged out of the lab by Gou. </p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>"Have you decided on whom to bring on this adventure?" Ash asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Hm.. I'll bring Cinderace, Peliper and Jigglypuff", Gou answered quickly. </p><p> </p><p>"Um hey, the professor gave us this ball to bring along", Gou held out a purple and white ball to show to Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, a master ball. I've seen it before but I'd never thought I'd be entrusted with one". </p><p> </p><p>"With this we'll be able to catch that special pokemon. Hold on, let me pack some food for us. Anything specific you want to bring along?" </p><p> </p><p>"Maybe just tuna in a can". </p><p> </p><p>"You sure?" </p><p> </p><p>"Some instant noodles would be good too". </p><p> </p><p>"Okay. I'll go get them". </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p>Ash was not the only one who had felt that it was strange for the three of them to end up at the jetty that day. </p><p> </p><p>Misty kept coming back to the location every year on the same date, hoping to get an anwer. She wondered what brought her there in the first place. Something about this jetty bothered her. However, she never found the answer she was looking for. She kept thinking about how the place felt somewhat familiar. </p><p> </p><p>It felt like she had been there before the first time she arrived there. </p><p> </p><p>Every year, she would come by to wait for some clues to point her to the right direction but as usual, it showed nothing. </p><p> </p><p>"I wonder why we were here that day…" </p><p> </p><p>She was going to sit in a cafe nearby when she spotted a familiar hat. Walking towards it, she gasped when she saw the person whom she had shared her adventure with before. </p><p> </p><p>She couldn't believe whom she was seeing.</p><p> </p><p>"Ash!!" </p><p> </p><p>And Ash turned to see the person who was calling him. "Oh hey, Misty. Didn't think that I'll be seeing you around today". </p><p> </p><p>Beside him was Gou. They've met but something felt different about the two now she hadn't felt when she first met them. </p><p> </p><p>"Hi Gou. Nice to meet you". </p><p> </p><p>"Hi Misty. Nice to meet you too". </p><p> </p><p>"It's been a while since I last saw you too. How're you doing?" she asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Been doing pretty good. Didn't think you'd be in the area", Ash said. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh… I'd come and visit this area every year because…" she stopped there, thinking. </p><p> </p><p>"Because of what?" asked Gou. </p><p> </p><p>"I don't know. It just… It just bothers me since that time". </p><p> </p><p>"You mean since the time we came here without a purpose?" </p><p> </p><p>"But was it really? Was it really without a purpose? I just knew that something important must have happened that day but I don't know what it is". </p><p> </p><p>"It's strange. Hey, Misty. If you're really looking for an answer, do you want to come along?" </p><p> </p><p>Misty contemplated over the invitation and nodded. "Sure".</p><p> </p><p>At that moment, Gou felt a little torn in between jealousy and acceptance.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"Tickets to the New Island for three people", Ash made his purchase. Once he got the ticket, he went straight to where Misty and Gou were. Gou was showing her the jigglypuff he had caught and Misty seemed to recognize it as well. </p><p> </p><p>"I'd never thought that you'd end up catching it", Misty looked at it with judging eyes. Jigglypuff wasn't too happy with her and smacked her with the handle of the microphone. </p><p> </p><p>"Ouch. Ouch. Can you stop that?" </p><p> </p><p>"Jigglypuff, return". Gou recalled it back into the pokeball. </p><p> </p><p>"I've bought the ticket",Ash said, showing the papers to them. </p><p> </p><p>"That's great. When is it for?" </p><p> </p><p>"We'll leave in an hour. Do you want to get anything before we leave?" </p><p> </p><p>"Maybe some pokemon feed. I don't think I brought enough", Gou answered. </p><p> </p><p>"Alright". Ash put his hands in his pocket and paid a visit to the pokemon food booth. Gou noticed the way Misty was looking at Ash. </p><p> </p><p>It pained him to ask but he wanted to find out. "Hey, do you… Happen to like him?" </p><p> </p><p>"I used to… used to have a crush on him. I never got around to tell him how I really feel but I guess I was forced to move on because of my own goal". </p><p> </p><p>"When was it? When did you find out about your feelings?" </p><p> </p><p>"I guess somewhere in the middle of our adventure together. But I can never gather my courage to tell him".</p><p> </p><p>"Do you feel it still?" </p><p> </p><p>"A bit, I guess. Why do you ask?"</p><p> </p><p>Gou hated himself for acting like a jealous lover but Misty's feelings were just as heavy as his. </p><p> </p><p>"Nothing. I was just thinking about it to pass the time", he lied between his teeth. </p><p> </p><p>When Ash came back with the additional pokemon feed, he noticed how Misty's expression softened a bit. </p><p> </p><p>"Are you sure it's just a little?" he thought to himself. </p><p> </p><p>The announcement of the departure time blared through the speaker and they made way to the queue. Once they made it inside the boat, Ash sat in between them and started to tell a tall tale about his purchase at the stall. </p><p> </p><p>" Somehow they look familiar", he said,"Purple hair and red hair… Where have I seen the colours before?" asked Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"It's the rockets", Both Misty and Gou deadpanned. </p><p> </p><p>"No way! They look so different. Other people can have similar hair colour too", Ash argued. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah but you found two of them together. Who else can it be", Gou smirked. </p><p> </p><p>"Huh", Ash thought for a while. </p><p> </p><p>The announcement of their arrival at the New Island jetty through the speaker made Ash jumped from his seat to check it out from the window. </p><p> </p><p>"Wow, there's a small town on it. I was prepared to have to camp it out tonight but maybe we can try to find a place to sleep instead!" </p><p> </p><p>"Sounds good to me". Gou and Misty both welcomed the idea of sleeping on a bed. </p><p> </p><p>"Welcome adventurers to the New Island, a town full of spa hotels where you can rest your pokemon and yourself after a long journey", the cabin crew spoke as the boat was closing in to the bridge. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's look for one with an onsen", Misty suggested. </p><p> </p><p>"Sounds good to me", Gou agreed. </p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>"Onsen Cabin, the most wonderful cabin in town for both pokemon and trainer…" Gou read. </p><p> </p><p>"Sounds great! Let's ask if they have a room for us", Misty suggested. </p><p> </p><p>The three of them walked into the hotel lounge. The New Island had somewhat turned into a tourist hotspot after a hot spring source was found to be on the island. It's location surrounded by nothing else but blue ocean and green field provided a calm escape for people who were looking forward to a serene vacation gateway. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, look! That statue in the lobby… They somewhat looked familiar", Ash pointed at the sculpture on display in the center of the lobby. There were two people, a lady and a man and in front of them was a meowth. </p><p> </p><p>Gou read the golden plate in front of the statue. "This is the statue of the founders of New Island. Legend has it that there was a war of pokemon on this island before it was turned into a vacation island for everybody. To remember the event, this statue found on the island during the hot spring excavation is preserved to be passed down for its historical value from generation to generation".</p><p> </p><p>"Pika…"</p><p> </p><p>"Wow, we're actually looking at the founder…" Ash looked at it in amazement. </p><p> </p><p>"But wait…" Gou scrutinized, "these trio… Hmmm…. Aren't these the Rocket people?" </p><p> </p><p>"Actually, when you put it that way, it is true that the statue resembled them", Misty agreed after looking at it carefully. </p><p> </p><p>"Huh? Doesn't look alike at all", Ash argued. </p><p> </p><p>"..." Both Gou and Misty silently and unanimously agreed that Ash is a fool. </p><p> </p><p>After silently judging their best friend / boyfriend, they encountered another problem at the reception. There was only a room left for the three of them to share. </p><p> </p><p>"We can arrange for another bed to be included inside the room with extra charges but they're not expensive, just another 50P per night",the receptionist explained. </p><p> </p><p>For Gou, it was a big problem since that means he would have to restrain from getting physical with Ash. However, at the moment, he would rather sacrifice his time with Ash temporarily since there's plenty of time later for them. The reason is simple. He respected Misty's feelings even if it meant a conflict of his own interest. Plus, he liked being friends with Misty. </p><p> </p><p>He would leave it to Ash to come clean with his previous almost relationships since his partner knew them better after all the journeys he'd had with them. </p><p> </p><p>Ash didn't look like he was against the idea of sharing a bedroom at all. He agreed without a single ounce of hesitation and since that was what he decided, Gou was happy to oblige. </p><p> </p><p>"The three of us can share. We'll take it", said Ash. Gou and Misty left him to settle the bill and checked out the spa and onsen courses offered by the hotel. </p><p> </p><p>"I know this trip is a business trip but I'd be damned to skip all of these", said Gou, looking at the list. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, the mud massage sounds good. And look, they even have aromatic flower baths for pokemon and trainer!" </p><p> </p><p>"I'd like to go for that Citrus Detox course. Can't wait to get all my pokemon getting their body cleaned!" Gou imagined having his Peliper, Cinderace and Jigglypuff getting pampered with oil massages. </p><p> </p><p>"I've got our key", Ash said from behind. "That was some bill. Luckily, it's on the professor". </p><p> </p><p>"Alright, come let's check out our room", Gou said excitedly. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, wait for me!" Misty ran after him, followed by Ash who was glad that the two were getting along well. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Ash ended up getting the bed next to the window with Misty in the middle and Gou on the right side. Their reasoning? Ash would be able to sleep through any kind of weather and since there can be days where the storm would be heavy, putting him there was a solution to comfortable sleep.</p><p> </p><p>They had dinner in a nearby restaurant and decided to rest for the day after the long trip to New Island. </p><p> </p><p>"Where do you think we should start?" Gou asked the two as he checked out the tourist attractions nearby. </p><p> </p><p>"Hmm… There's an interesting writing on the statue… It mentioned a legend of a great war. That could provide us with some clue", said Misty. </p><p> </p><p>"Legend about a war, huh? Maybe we can go to the island museum tomorrow", Gou suggested. </p><p> </p><p>"A museum? Oh man… It's gunna be boring". </p><p> </p><p>The next morning, the man who couldn't contain his excitement was Ash as he woke up with bumbling energy that he could beat a Rapidash in a race. </p><p> </p><p>When they arrived at the museum, the three of them walked through the passage of history of when the New Island town first started. It also showed the location where they discovered the statue of the founder. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh look, here it writes about the Onsen Cabin being one of the first few hotels that opens up on this island", Gou pointed at a picture of the hotel when it was first built. </p><p> </p><p>"H-Hey, look at this!" Gou suddenly spotted familiar faces in the picture. </p><p> </p><p>"Huh, what is it?" asked Ash. He looked at where Gou was pointing. Two street magicians were performing with a Meowth and a Wobuffet in the background. </p><p> </p><p>"Wow, they used to have street performers! I hope we get to see something like this now", Ash said with hopeful eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"You're hopeless, Ash", Misty said while shaking her head. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm used to it to the point of questioning the existence of this man", Gou said in defeat. </p><p> </p><p>"Huh? Is there something about it that I should notice?" Ash asked, pursing his lips at Gou to show his dissatisfaction. </p><p> </p><p>"Do I have to spell it out?" he asked Misty. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, he won't catch it on his own, you know?" said Misty. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, not fair you're both ganging on me!" </p><p> </p><p>"It's the Rocket", both Misty and Gou said in unison. </p><p> </p><p>"Eh, really? Let me see it again!" This time, Ash took a long time to study the characters in the picture. When he turned to look at them, he said, "I don't see it". </p><p> </p><p>Both Misty and Gou just shrugged their shoulders and sighed. </p><p> </p><p>"But if it's really them, we might as well find them and ask. They might have some idea about the event happening on the island since there's a lot of stuffs you claimed looking similar to them", and out of nowhere came Ash's brilliant idea. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, let's look for more clues before we resort to that", Gou suggested. </p><p> </p><p>They decided to individually search for anything that could lead them to the mysterious pokemon. While Gou was busy studying the natural habitat on and surrounding the island, Misty was looking through the Geological finding and weather data collected by the scientists about the island. </p><p> </p><p>Ash and Pikachu decided to look at the structure found around the island. </p><p> </p><p>He stood in awe at the display of a lapras boat found at the bottom of the sea near the island. </p><p> </p><p>"This… it feels nostalgic", he said to himself. </p><p> </p><p>Ash felt like a zap shot through his head. "Urgh!" he groaned painfully, holding his head to stop the unexplained throbs. </p><p> </p><p>Memory of being submerged in the ocean flashed in front of him. His lung felt tight and Ash swallowed his breath to keep the oxygen in like he was swimming through a strong current. </p><p> </p><p>He grabbed his belt for a pokeball. "Squirtle. I need it. Where is it?" </p><p> </p><p>"I can't breath!" he thought as he felt himself drowning deeper into the ocean. </p><p> </p><p>"Ash! Ash!!" he heard Gou's worried voice calling out to him. </p><p> </p><p>"Squirtle… I need squirtle", Ash struggled to speak between his breath. </p><p> </p><p>Gou's voice was slowly drowned out by the water emerging inside his mind. He felt his body being shifted, his weight being supported by someone else. </p><p> </p><p>But even then, he could just feel the liquid pressure on his skin. Far in the corner of his mind, Ash knew he wasn't anywhere near the ocean but he was so consumed by his overwhelmed senses that he couldn't trick his mind into thinking that he was on land. </p><p> </p><p>How long could he hold his breath, he wondered as he slowly sunk into the illusion of the sea. </p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>"A squirtle…" Gou repeated the words like a chant, looking around for the pokemon. He would stop when he saw a person and another and another, asking each of them if they own one. </p><p> </p><p>He left Ash with Misty to find it. His rotom phone announced Misty caller ID and he picked it up, asking, "Is Ash okay?" </p><p> </p><p>"The doctor is putting him on a respiratory support but he still is drowning. Hurry Gou". </p><p> </p><p>"I'm searching but nobody seems to have a Squirtle. If I have to, I will catch one myself", he said with determination, his eyes wandering for any sign of said pokemon. </p><p> </p><p>Gou blocked any thoughts about losing Ash. He believed Ash will survive this and he believed that he will find a squirtle. Whenever there was doubt, he planted it at the back of his mind and just simply kept running and searching for it. </p><p> </p><p>But slowly, the mission started to look like an impossible feat. He panted weariedly. </p><p> </p><p>"What if…" he stopped there. No, he said to himself. He wouldn't just let his lover and partner leave him easily. </p><p> </p><p>"MY ASH IS A FIGHTER AND I'LL MAKE HIM LIVE!" </p><p> </p><p>He clenched his fists, grounded his teeth and desperately started his search again. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't give up. Don't fucking give up!" he said to himself at every corner he turned. </p><p> </p><p>He continued without thinking and without seeing who was in front of him. Accidentally, he ran into a man who was wearing a black cloak. The man looked at him, smirking while holding out a pokeball in his palm. </p><p> </p><p>"Are you looking for a squirtle? I saw you asking the town folks, " he asked. . </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, do you have one?" </p><p> </p><p>The man had a burn scar on his face. Eventhough Gou knew better than to talk or accept anything from a suspicious stranger, he didn't really have a choice. </p><p> </p><p>"I do, but it'll come with a price". </p><p> </p><p>Gou was ready to pay the price. </p><p> </p><p>"Then, you will come with me and become a test subject of my research. You might come out of it alive or the other way around". </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>When Ash came to, he was gripping onto a tail of a squirtle. Misty was sleeping by his side but the person he really wanted to see, wasn't even there beside him. </p><p> </p><p>Cinderace and Pikachu were nestled together. </p><p> </p><p>"Gou…" he mumbled before the sleeping drug took effect again. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>The next evening, posters of a missing person were put up on the wall all over the island and mainland. </p><p> </p><p>Ash looked at it with worry etched on his face. "Where are you?" </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p>When he left Misty, Cinderace and his other pokemons, the man had scanned a ray onto them. They immediately fell asleep after that and Gou called out to the squirtle inside the pokeball. </p><p> </p><p>He gave it a head rub and sat it down next to Ash. Ash's breathing stabilized but it saddened him- whatever the trauma is, he would never be there to get Ash through it.</p><p> </p><p>He would never get to find out the cause or hear about another great adventure that came along with it. </p><p> </p><p>When they arrived at the underwater laboratory, he was asked to follow a researcher to collect information on his physical and background. </p><p> </p><p>Then he was asked to change and followed the professor to the laboratory's lobby.</p><p> </p><p>He was brought to a lab, occupied by a number of researchers who were looking at him like a case study subject. He didn't understand what their true objective is but he did hear one of them say something akin to a mind control experiment. </p><p> </p><p>"Remember why you're agreeing to this. It's voluntary", a hand shoved Gou into a glass casket. He then attached to his face an oxygen mask as instructed and the only thing he was wearing on his body was a swimming trunk. </p><p> </p><p>The cubicle door closed up on him and the tank started to fill from his toe to his head with pink liquid. </p><p> </p><p>The pink hue slowly turned into a darker shade of red until to the point that he was feeling drowsy. </p><p> </p><p>The last thing he heard was a researcher reading the synchronizing percentage. </p><p> </p><p>And when he opened his eyes next, anger and hatred was boiling inside him. </p><p> </p><p>"I want to destroy it. I hate this world. Let me crush it all to nothing". </p><p> </p><p>He flew through the air and sent beams across the city. He drifted through the atmosphere and skydived towards the tower. </p><p> </p><p>"Lightning bolt". </p><p> </p><p>Spark of electricity gathered around him and it crisscrossed towards the city, striking whatever is in its way. </p><p> </p><p>He laughed at their fear. Laughed and kept on laughing before striking with another round of thunder bolt. </p><p> </p><p>Some parts of the buildings collapsed, some people were injured. </p><p> </p><p>For a reason that was unknown, it made Gou felt satisfied. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"Zapdos has synchronized with the subject. Boosting emotion of Anger", one of the scientists reported to the man who had brought Gou in to become a test subject, Professor Fuji. </p><p> </p><p>There were a number of screens displaying various readings of data, with one of them showing the live news report about Zapdos attacking a city. They watched the line pulsing, gaining traction when more drug was injected into the glass casket. When it reached a certain peak, the scientist began to suggest to him about ending the experiment for that day. </p><p> </p><p>"Professor Fuji. Should today's result be enough?" asked them. The said professor weighed on the decision to press on. However, he unexpectedly picked up a rare subject - one that can establish a full connection with pokemon.</p><p> </p><p>It would be hard to find someone like this trainer. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's stop for today. It's such a rare find of a person who can sync well with pokemon's mind. We shouldn't break him until we find Mewtwo", he said like he was talking about an object. Team rocket knew not of remorse, only to be driven by goal alone. </p><p> </p><p>The professor rejoiced at the success of their discovery. Another breakthrough since his last masterpiece, Mewtwo. </p><p> </p><p>"I made a mistake of letting Mewtwo think freely for himself but this, this will rectify it. Of course we need to learn more about the artificial synchronization effect on human body and mind but I believe we can achieve the goal of controlling the strongest pokemon in the world!"</p><p> </p><p>"There's so much we can do", he struggled to keep his excitement inside, "this discovery not only helps us to understand pokemon but also to understand humans and how we can manipulate their minds and emotions to our advantage".</p><p> </p><p>He clasped his hand together, saying, "Giovanni will surely be happy to hear about this". </p><p> </p><p>They drained the liquid from the glass casket and took Gou out from it. </p><p> </p><p>"You've done a great job today", said one of the scientists, helping him to stand up on his feet. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't touch me", Gou pushed away any form of help. His body was trembling. His vision was filled with what he'd just seen . Destruction caused by his own hand. Out of unexplained fury. </p><p> </p><p>They showed him where his room was and he covered himself in a blanket. </p><p> </p><p>The next few days, the experiment continued. The synchronizing experiment now extended not just to legendary but to any pokemon.There are days it was just him flying in the horizon. There were days of him crossing the galaxy but days that were worse to him was when he was causing chaos to a city, town and state. </p><p> </p><p>Sometimes, he would try to visit Vermilion City while soaring in the sky. Even if he was only able to see home with his shared vision, at the very least, it gave him a little escape from all of these. </p><p> </p><p>Then one day, when he was synchronising with a grookie who happened to be nearby the laboratory they were staying in, he made his way to the garden where he used to play with everybody. </p><p> </p><p>He jumped on the window sill where his room was and peered inside. Sitting at the desk was Ash with his face on the table. </p><p> </p><p>He heard a knock on the door and Gou immediately hid half of the grookie's body behind the curtain side of the window. </p><p> </p><p>Koharu walked in bringing a tray of food. She gently laid it down next to Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"You need to eat, Ash. If you become weak, you won't be able to find him". </p><p> </p><p>"I know. I know that but I… I just missed him. A lot. He's been missing for two months". </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Misty is coming today to cheer you up. You can show her Gou's pokemon". </p><p> </p><p>"I'll meet her later. Thanks".</p><p> </p><p>"Promise me that you'll eat", Koharu said. </p><p> </p><p>Gou whimpered but all the noise that came out from him was from grookie's. He must have been a little too loud when Ash suddenly came closer to the window and opened it. His partner… his lover was staring at him with great curiosity. </p><p> </p><p>It had been awhile since he saw Ash this close. He couldn't help it and touched the familiar face he loved so much. </p><p> </p><p>Ash let him in and he slipped inside the room to where their bed was. He patted the mattress to call him over in which he earned a quizzical look from the other. When Ash sat next to him, he climbed on top of Ash and nuzzled into his neck gently. Ah, it's been so long and he rubbed his grookie's face with Ash's cheeks. </p><p> </p><p>Something about it made Ash grew quieter as if he was contemplating.  </p><p> </p><p>"G-Gou?" </p><p> </p><p>Gou went frozen stiff and after that, quickly jumped down to the floor. He dashed to the window and left, but not without turning for one last look. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, stupid… I'm so stupid", he scolded himself. </p><p> </p><p>"We have to catch that grookie", Ash said and he chose his dragonite to chase after it. The dragonite held him while he kept a close watch on the escaping grookie. </p><p> </p><p>"Deep dive dragonite. I'll lift him up", Ash said once he saw an opportunity as they soar above a field and dragonite snorted. The grookie ran as fast as his feet could carry but Ash, on his dragonite swiftly swooped him up into his embrace. </p><p> </p><p>"Where have you been? I missed you. What happened to you? " Ash showered him with questions. </p><p> </p><p>Gou shook his head. He was just happy that Ash was alive and well. </p><p> </p><p>It would be better if he was never to be found.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Back in the room, Ash closed the window to stop the grookie from going out. No he wasn't crazy and yes, he was 100 percent sure that this was Gou. </p><p> </p><p>It simply was because he remembered every ways Gou ever shown his affection to him when he missed Ash so much. One of the ways he frequently used was calling him to the mattress and nuzzled into his neck like he wanted to be there forever. </p><p> </p><p>"Tell me, where are you? Whatever this is, it isn't permanent. You must be somewhere out there", Ash asked again firmly. </p><p> </p><p>"And no running. I'll chase you wherever you go", he added. </p><p> </p><p>"Grookie!!" Gou pretended to act like a grookie but he was persuading no one with his bad acting. </p><p> </p><p>… Gou is such a bad liar. He would try but he would never fool Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"You can't pretend to be grookie right now! Oh help me please!" </p><p> </p><p>The grookie or Gou sat on the mattress, heaving a sigh. He looked at the paper and pen and went to the desk to pick them up. </p><p> </p><p>With Grookie's clumsy hand he began to write. "I can't tell you because this is all on me". </p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?" </p><p> </p><p>"I want you to live on. Whatever this is, I might not live through this", he wrote. </p><p> </p><p>"No, you can't just say things like that". </p><p> </p><p>"Grookie!" angry, Gou pointed the pen at Ash instead of writing anything. </p><p> </p><p>"You can't just decide on things on your own without talking to me because you think it'll work out for us. Especially when you know you are going to be in danger! Arghhh, I'm so mad at you right now. LISTEN GOU. Your home is with me and without you, there is no meaning to this world. If you die, I'll die too". </p><p> </p><p>Gou slapped Ash's face. Ash cannot waste his effort, his sacrifice just because he felt Gou was what kept him living. There were so many others with them, Pikachu, the other pokemon and his friends. </p><p> </p><p>And then he realized he was also doing exactly what he didn't want Ash to do. Leaving them all without thinking and then hurting them in the process. </p><p> </p><p>But it was too late to retract his promise. The facility's security was too tight and he was alone in there. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry", he whispered and although he was making grookie's noise, Ash figured it out what he wanted to say. </p><p> </p><p>"Gou, please. Don't leave", Ash pleaded. </p><p> </p><p>If Ash really thinks the window will keep him inside, he showed him how he could easily unlock it and left. But his plea had almost won him over to stay except as long as he was just borrowing a pokemon's body, he would still be forced to leave. </p><p> </p><p>Ash touched his burning skin and a new fire lit up in his eyes. He went downstairs and started ordering Mr. Mime to cook him a high protein meal. At the dining table with Koharu and Misty, he gobbled the food down his throat with great appetite. </p><p> </p><p>"What's going on…? " Misty asked. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to bulk up and drag that asshole home before he thinks he can just kick the bucket before me". </p><p> </p><p>Both Koharu and Misty shared a smile. They were glad that Ash domehow managed to lift his spirit. </p><p> </p><p>Wherever Gou is, Ash would look for him even if the hole can only fit a worm.</p><p> </p><p>He was determined to claim back what's rightfully his. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>There's more human consciousness than before this time. The reading showed that the subject is more in control of the pokemon mind, that it even showed mirroring human mind activity in their brain energy. </p><p> </p><p>"This is a very interesting result",Professor Fuji commented after reading the data. </p><p> </p><p>"Explain your finding", Giovanni, the man behind the Rocket organization, said in the video call they were in. </p><p> </p><p>"We have discovered that when a pokemon is synchronising with the human subject, the mind of the human subject will become the primary brain and so emotions of the human will influence the aggression in pokemon. At the same time, the pokemon will lose its sense of will and have no ability to dispute commands given by the human brain. But this time, it seems to me that the human can command the pokemon subject to do what he will. It's like the human soul had been transferred into the pokemon", said Professor Fuji.</p><p> </p><p>"You're saying if I can control what the human is thinking, then I can relay the instruction to the pokemon and the pokemon will behave like an obedient empty shell".</p><p> </p><p>"Precisely".</p><p> </p><p>"When can you have it done, the human mind control mechanism?".</p><p> </p><p>"I think we have enough data to create a brainwave intervention system".</p><p> </p><p>"Good, have them prepared".</p><p> </p><p>"When do you want me to deliver it?"</p><p> </p><p>"Have it tested as soon as you're ready. There's a certain lab that I am aiming to destroy for sniffing around for our studies".</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"Today, please put this on", the researcher said, handing over a head ring. Gou tucked it on his head and walked into the glass casket after putting the oxygen mask on. </p><p> </p><p>And then, his mind went blank.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"After two weeks of testing, the result looks promising. We are able to increase complexity on the command structure and look at this damage done by the Absol on the small town. It's impressive". </p><p> </p><p>"Good, carry out the test on a legendary". </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As always, the trio, James, Jessie and Meowth looked through their binoculars, observing Pikachu and Cinderace walking alone in the market.</p><p> </p><p>"It's Pikachu and Cinderace. Where are their trainers, I wonder", Jessie said.</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe they had a fight", James suggested. </p><p> </p><p>"That would make our job easier", said Meowth. </p><p> </p><p>Occasionally, there were times when the pokemons would get separated from their humans. Perhaps, this is one of those moment. </p><p> </p><p>They followed the two pokemons until they were led into an alley. Then Pikachu and Cinderace turned to face them with smirks on their faces. </p><p> </p><p>"Pikachu, use electroweb. Cinderace, high jump kick", Ash ordered the two pokemon to gang on the team rocket's trio. </p><p> </p><p>"Drop down the net!" </p><p> </p><p>Caught by surprise, Jessie, James and Meowth watched the net fell on top of them. </p><p> </p><p>They were brought to the laboratory and were tied to chairs. Standing in front of them was Brock, Misty and Ash, the twerp. Pikachu stood on the table with its arms crossed. </p><p> </p><p>"I'd never thought that I'd see the day that we are going to be the one captured", said Meowth. </p><p> </p><p>"How dare you devise this plan against us!" Jessie snarled at them. </p><p> </p><p>Professor Sakuragi walked into the room and curiously looked at the trio. </p><p> </p><p>"Are these the team Rocket members you were talking about?" asked the professor. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, they're the ones", Misty said. </p><p> </p><p>"Alright, let's invite them for some tea. I believe it's only courtesy that we treat them as guests".</p><p> </p><p>"Let's take this chance to escape", said James when Brock undid the rope. </p><p> </p><p>"I insist that you stay if you don't want to be cursed by Gengar", the professor added. </p><p> </p><p>The trio stopped mid track and returned to the sofa. Koharu brought out some mint tea and blueberry cookies. They sat and stared at each other, trying to unnerve each other with just eye's communication. </p><p> </p><p>The professor cleared his throat. </p><p> </p><p>"My fellow apprentice Ash had spoken about how they had found your trails on New Island. We'd like to inquire a few things from you. We have evidence to believe that you are connected to a specific incident on the island", the professor explained. </p><p> </p><p>"New Island eh? We don't know what you're talking about", Jessie turned her head to the side. </p><p> </p><p>"Stop with your bluffing. I know that it was you!" Ash accused - not that he knew for sure but if he wanted to get anywhere, he needed to have the confidence to play along. </p><p> </p><p>He remembered the short recollection he had about drowning. He made a bet with himself. If he were to play victim, he might get the reaction he wanted from them. </p><p> </p><p>"You almost made me drown in the sea", he said, acting solemn, "if it hadn't been for squirtle, you would've killed me and Pikachu!" </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, it was you who got onto the Lapras boat eventhough the officer was stopping everybody from going to that island!" Jessie angrily deflected the blame. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, we were just there to accommodate your crossing", said James. </p><p> </p><p>"But then you found out that it was us and tried to act tough. It wasn't us who let go of the boat!" Meowth chipped in. </p><p> </p><p>Misty and Brock (Ash called him over to help out) exchanged glances and nodded to each other. </p><p> </p><p>"So you do know something", said Brock, "we didn't recall going through anything like that". </p><p> </p><p>"... I.. I supposed we were there on the New Island after all", Jessie stammered, "excuse my short memory". </p><p> </p><p>"Then, tell us what really happened", Professor Sakuragi opened up the floor for them. </p><p> </p><p>"Alright, if you insist. But that's because <em> you </em> want to hear it all", said Jessie. </p><p> </p><p>"That night, it was a long stormy night at the jetty. Officer Jenny was on duty to stop everybody from going to that island. Each of the trainers who gathered there received an invitation card to go to the island. </p><p> </p><p>But as a part of a test, the storm raged and it was all orchestrated by a pokemon. He calls himself a trainer and claims that he was created by humans. </p><p> </p><p>You, twerp were there to witness it all. Your friends too", Jessie poked Ash's forehead like she wanted to stab through him with her fingers. </p><p> </p><p>"We didn't witness the whole plot but we entered the palace through the sewer. At some point we found that the owner of the palace stole all of your pokemon and pikachu too. So you ran to this cloning machine to take back your Pikachu until it was broken. </p><p> </p><p>Which then caused the release of the cloned pokemon as well as the original. The clones and originals began to battle each other and it brought tears to our eyes to see the war of copies and originals. </p><p> </p><p>The master of the palace was also fighting with another pokemon this small but was bursting with energy. They lashed energy balls at each other until at some point, <em> you </em> came running, asking them to stop but at the same time was caught in between the energy bursts", Jessie said. </p><p> </p><p>"That day, you were actually dead", James said after sipping on his cup of tea. </p><p> </p><p>"I was dead…" </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, but you were lucky. The pokemons shared their life source to revive you. You were brought back to life. If not, you were forever gone",Meowth continued. </p><p> </p><p>Professor Sakuragi and everyone else couldn't believe what he was listening to. Ash pulled down his hat, stood up and left the living room. </p><p> </p><p>"We didn't know that had happened",Misty said, looking at the trio. </p><p> </p><p>"This pokemon, what is it called?" the professor asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Mewtwo but he left and turned the island to a flowery field after disappearing with the clones. He even removed the palace with a blink of an eye. We were trapped there for quite a long time. Oh, dark dark days", said Meowth. </p><p> </p><p>"You said he was made by humans?" asked the professor. </p><p> </p><p>"That's what we heard", said James. </p><p> </p><p>"Though he speaks to you with telepathy", Meowth added. </p><p> </p><p>"I see… From the name and the story I can tell that this is a clone of Mew. Then this Amino Acid sequence…. It must have belonged to that pokemon. Then the lab explosion incident was also caused by it and it was born there", the professor concluded. </p><p> </p><p>"This lab… Do you know about it?" asked the professor. He showed the image of researchers from the lab with his rotom projector to them. </p><p> </p><p>"Who's this? They're just a bunch of your kind, isn't it?" Meowth, Jessie and James looked at him in bewilderment. </p><p> </p><p>"These are the team rockets research scientists. Some survived but others were pronounced dead even when there are bodies that went missing", explained the professor. </p><p> </p><p>"Those who survived lose their memory but from your story, it seems that they have successfully created a pokemon that is so strong that it can change the weather, cloned pokemon and possibly enhance them. It can also remove what has been created and reverse the time… this pokemon has a massive power… and I believe the effort to look for Mewtwo had never really stop". </p><p> </p><p>"What? Are we going to see it again?" Misty asked. </p><p> </p><p>"We will. Take a look at this. These are the reported pokemon incidents reported by Ash when he was collecting data that seems abnormal. All of these are aggressions on towns which had been happening more frequently than before", he said. </p><p> </p><p>"A particular assault was especially concerning. This one was done by an absol", he showed them the flattened map of the Absol's target locations. </p><p> </p><p>"These red dots represented the monumental hotspots as well as the government bodies spots like the mayor office. It's like a directive had been given to the absol to selectively attack these places". </p><p> </p><p>"However, when we were to capture it, the absol behaved differently than the time it was attacking. There wasn't a single chip or any piece of technology found on it to show that it was being controlled", the professor said, closing the rotom projector. </p><p> </p><p>"After compiling all these, Ash told me that he met Gou in the body of a grookie. There might be a link with Gou's disappearance", the professor said while looking out of the window. </p><p> </p><p>"So you're saying that our organization is actually working on something right now and it relates to Mewtwo", asked James. </p><p> </p><p>"I wonder what they are up to", the professor said. </p><p> </p><p>He invited the trio for lunch and let them go free without Gengar's curse like he threatened to do. </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>"Stop it", Gou threw the head ring onto the floor. </p><p> </p><p>"Be obedient", Professor Fuji spoke with a glare. "Put it on". </p><p> </p><p>"When I put this on, I don't remember what had happened. I wasn't unconscious but I wasn't even looking through the pokemon's eyes. What did you do?" Gou snarled at the professor. </p><p> </p><p>"You're here as a test subject. You don't need to know the details". </p><p> </p><p>"Then I refused to put this on". </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I'll make you even if it means to do it by force. Troops, get him ready inside the glass casket", ordered the professor. </p><p> </p><p>Gou stepped back and turned on his heels, quickly making a dash out of the lab lobby. The red siren blared and everyone began to be on the move to restrain the trainer. </p><p> </p><p>They cornered him in one of the areas and fired a stun gun to immobilize him. They forced him into the glass casket and forcefully put on the oxygen mask and head ring. </p><p> </p><p>His mind went blank again instantly after it was activated. </p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>"I was dead", Ash thought out loud. He was alone with Pikachu and he was trying to come to a term with the fact that he was, at the age of ten, dead. </p><p> </p><p>"This world is truly, truly a cruel one. Holy macaroni I was gone once". </p><p> </p><p>He laughed. He was unsure if it was the right thing to do but he did anyway. </p><p> </p><p>They must be joking, he thought in denial. A knock resounded on the door. He guessed he made other people worry a lot about him lately. </p><p> </p><p>"Ash, may I come in?" he heard Misty asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah sure. What do you want to talk about?" </p><p> </p><p>"About just now… were you hurt by it?" asked Misty. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm hurt by.. By everything. I want to talk about it. I want to be comforted. I want to be able to… I don't know , come to terms with something like this but… As you can see, the other side of this bed is empty and cold". </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Ash… Do you mind if I ask you something?" </p><p> </p><p>Ash kept his silence and Misty took it as her cue to continue. </p><p> </p><p>"Are you and Gou together?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yes we are". </p><p> </p><p>"I've had my suspicion…" </p><p> </p><p>"When?" </p><p> </p><p>"I guess from when he started asking me about my crush for you". </p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry I can't return it".</p><p> </p><p>"You don't have to. He is such a good friend that I think you are in a good hand". </p><p> </p><p>"I want to get him back, Misty". </p><p> </p><p>"When you met him in grookie's form, did he say anything to you?" </p><p> </p><p>"He told me he might not be able to make it out from there alive. That he is sorry. That he really missed me". </p><p> </p><p>"That time, when you were hospitalized, he was very worried. I think at that time he was ready to lose everything as long as he can save you".</p><p> </p><p>"I'm going to save him". </p><p> </p><p>Misty held his shoulder and shook her head. "No, we're going to. Me and Brock are going with you". </p><p> </p><p>Koharu suddenly opened the door, looking panicked. </p><p> </p><p>"Guys, can you come to the lab lobby? Dad needs you there", she alerted them. </p><p> </p><p>--------</p><p> </p><p>Professor Sakuragi showed them the active vibration of supersonic wave reading. Strong energy had been found to be in the lab parameter. </p><p> </p><p>"This pattern is of Articuno and it's just above this research lab", said Professor Sakuragi. </p><p> </p><p>"What is it doing here?" Brock asked. </p><p> </p><p>"It's far from its nest", the professor said. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll check it out", Ash said and went outside. He was followed by Misty and Koharu. Snow clouds surrounded the building and Articuno glide closer to the roof. </p><p> </p><p>It flapped its wings, causing a massive blizzard to hit the rooftop. </p><p> </p><p>"I think it's becoming aggressive", Koharu said fearfully. </p><p> </p><p>"Gengar, I choose you!" Ash said and Gengar comes out from the pokeball.</p><p> </p><p>"Gengar, use shadow ball!" Ash shouted his order and Gengar sent the shadow ball towards the Articuno. </p><p> </p><p>The articuno reflected the attack with another wave of blizzard. </p><p> </p><p>"Dragonite!" Ash called. He climbed on its back and the dragonite flew towards the Articuno. Dragonite flew in a circle around it and Ash looked for any device that might have caused it to behave in such a way. </p><p> </p><p>"It looks normal… But why is it attacking this lab?" </p><p> </p><p>Deep in Articuno's subconscious , a bit of Gou's mind was awakened like he had just slept through a deep slumber. When he realized where the pokemon was attacking, he attempted to break through the interference to take control of it. </p><p> </p><p>The connection of their minds were blocked by another layer but he tried to pierce through it. When he got through it, he commanded the legendary bird to fly higher and continued to circle the building. The behaviour caused a change in the weather where snow began to fall on the building. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm starting to feel cold", Koharu said shivering. She watched from the entrance how Articuno sent another wave of blizzard but this time weaker than the first time. </p><p> </p><p>It cawed a few times before flying lower. Gou began to realize that the device might have been for interfering with his own mind as Articuno started to change its movement eventhough he hadn't given it any order to follow. </p><p> </p><p>"It's behaviour is not making any sense", the professor said. The articuno that seemed aggressive before was trying to stay away. </p><p> </p><p>Then it let out another loud cawing, then deep diving towards the roof. Gou attempted on regaining the control and caused it to take a sharp corner and collided with the roof tower. </p><p> </p><p>Its wing was pierced through the metal vane, causing it to struggle to break free from it. </p><p> </p><p>"Dragonite, help the articuno", Ash commanded and Dragonite gave a soft snort before landing on the roof to help pull the injured wing. </p><p> </p><p>"Easy, I'm helping you. Easy…" </p><p> </p><p>Then Articuno's cawing grew louder as Zapdos and Moltres flew towards them. It made them realized that even Zapdoa and Moltres had awakened when Articuno did. The two legendaries began to exchange attacks and were brutally clawing at each other in the sky. </p><p> </p><p>When Moltres saw Articuno lying on the rooftoop, injured, it dashed forward to take the chance to attack it. </p><p> </p><p>At that moment, the Articuno pushed Ash to the side with its feet and used reflect. Then, it took off to the sky albeit clumsily and performed an ice gust on the other two. </p><p> </p><p>When Moltres and Zapdos broke its attack, Articuno flew after them and used its claws to throw Zapdos and then Moltres off balance. </p><p> </p><p>The fight continued until suddenly, they were thrown off to each side by a red light. It was at this moment when Gou lose control of the link and Articuno started to regain back his own consciousness and fought for dominance. </p><p> </p><p>While this was happening without anyone's knowledge, Ash, having climbed on top of dragonite, observed the pokemon which was the source of the light. It stared directly at Ash and using telepathy, he said, "We meet again, human". </p><p> </p><p>At that time, Ash recognized the being that was talking to him. And memories flooded back into his mind like it was being returned. </p><p> </p><p>"Mewtwo…"</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>The researchers jerked backward when Gou was clawing at the glass surface. His movement was slow due the liquid but his restlessness showed clearly like he was trying to protect himself. He was mimicking a growl albeit with the mask on and trying to get out from the narrow space he was in. </p><p> </p><p>"He is acting defensive…. Like a cornered animal", one of them commented when the subject growled at them. </p><p> </p><p>"The system is being hijacked! Look at this brainwave. The pokemon and test subject's brainwave are fighting to take control", said another. </p><p> </p><p>The head ring was still attached and switched on but they couldn't risk a forced decoupling since it hadn't been performed before. </p><p> </p><p>"Remove the commands on the subject". </p><p> </p><p>"I'm trying but the program is not responding". </p><p> </p><p>"Kill the command!" </p><p> </p><p>"We cannot just simply remove it! No one knows what will happen if we do that!" </p><p> </p><p>The chaos resumed. </p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, watching from the satellite observation was Professor Fuji and Giovanni. They were too mesmerized by the pokemon that they didn't care about what was going on in the lab. </p><p> </p><p>" My best creation…. It appeared!"</p><p> </p><p>" Enforce control on it, Fuji", said Giovanni. </p><p> </p><p>"You want me to synchronize the trainer with Mewtwo?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, do it. Right now". </p><p> </p><p>"Team, decoupled the subject with Articuno and change the target to Mewtwo", said Professor Fuji. </p><p> </p><p>"We can't just do that! The system is having an issue right now and we cannot guarantee our subject will not suffer from a side effect!" </p><p> </p><p>"Do it! This is the only time we can get our hands on Mewtwo!" </p><p> </p><p>There were some who disagreed. To be treating the young man as a mere object, some of them think he had gone too far. </p><p> </p><p>"Where is our value as a human being if we keep on pushing this experiment further and further?" one of them argued. </p><p> </p><p>"Values? You've been on board with this experiment and now you want to talk about having human values?" Professor Fuji scorned at them. </p><p> </p><p>"He might be a test subject but he is a person. With emotion", another researcher came forward to speak out. </p><p> </p><p>"Look at this data! Doesn't it tell you what is happening? Why are the two minds fighting for control? It's because the pokemon also have the will to free itself from intervention"  said another. </p><p> </p><p>"This person lives in that building we want to annihilate. When he weakened the blizzard attack, he was already struggling to take control of the pokemon's mind to stop the program command from going through the link", the person continued. </p><p> </p><p>"Then it's a bug that needs fixing", said the professor. </p><p> </p><p>"Is that all you care about?" they asked. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll handle this myself. When we want to discover things, we should not mix human emotion and facts based data. If you can't do that, how can you call yourself a researcher?" the professor climbed down the stairs and went to the computer. </p><p> </p><p>He was about to modify the code when one of the disagreeing researchers pushed the professor to the side. </p><p> </p><p>" I won't allow it. Ever since you started to put the mind controlling device on him, I've been questioning about your method to achieve this research goal. The study is about synchronizing pokemons and humans but when it gets to the point you might kill someone because of it, I will stop you", said the researcher. </p><p> </p><p>"Do you really think I will be easily stopped?" Professor Fuji suddenly pointed a gun at the man. </p><p> </p><p>"I will shoot you if you decide to be in the way", he said. While hoisting the gun, he changed the directive of the program and forced a new compilation before releasing the code into the environment. </p><p> </p><p>The researchers watched as the machine started to change its target, but at the very moment they were attempting decoupling of the subjects, Mewtwo disappeared.  </p><p> </p><p>And someone surged forward and knocked the professor to the floor. </p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>"Ash Ketchum, it has been a while since we last met", Mewtwo spoke to him through telepathy. </p><p> </p><p>"You've returned my memory", Ash said and his prior meeting with Mewtwo came back bit by bit that everything began to click. </p><p> </p><p>"My intention to wipe our meeting is to stop you from feeling the trauma that I have caused you. I'm truly sorry". </p><p> </p><p>"I… At that time, I was the foolish one", Ash admitted as he remembered the reason why he jumped in between Mew and Mewtwo. </p><p> </p><p>"But I'm glad that you stopped us. You gave me a precious viewpoint that correct my erroneous ways ". </p><p> </p><p>Ash was happy that Mewtwo had changed. He seemed gentler than he was before, as if every life was precious to him. Then Mewtwo might help him get back Gou, he thought. </p><p> </p><p>"Mewtwo… I need your help", Ash said. </p><p> </p><p>"You are searching for the person you cared about", Mewtwo said, having read Ash's mind before the request was even said. </p><p> </p><p>"I am",Ash admitted. </p><p> </p><p>"I am also looking for the cause of the disturbance in the Pokemon's brainwave. The Articuno is linked to another mind and that has caused the change in its behaviour. I can predict where the location is from this. Is that where you're heading too?" asked Mewtwo. </p><p> </p><p>"I just know it is", Ash said firmly. </p><p> </p><p>"Then closed your eyes and I'd bring you there". </p><p> </p><p>Mewtwo teleported Ash and his Pikachu to another location. When he opened his eyes, he saw a man holding a gun saying obscured things about a threat to shoot another man. </p><p> </p><p>Ash saw Gou behaving wildly inside the glass casket, looking like he was in an absolute pain. Without thinking, Ash rushed forward and knocked the professor to the floor. </p><p> </p><p>"You…" the researcher who was pointed a gun to gasped at Ash. </p><p> </p><p>"Stop this device right now", Ash said and the researcher scrambled to his feet, going into the program and writing a code to soften the decoupling effort. </p><p> </p><p>"I can't! It will take some time to write anything remotely safe", the researcher said after looking at the complex program and its dependency. </p><p> </p><p>"Let me try", the researcher immediately stepped aside when Mewtwo came forward. </p><p> </p><p>The pokemon released an aura to restructure the code. "W-What? This is unbelievable", a few of the researchers were in awe with how the pokemon was rewriting everything they had ever worked on. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll run this program to undo the link synchronization. However, there are things that you have to figure out on your own, Ash Ketchum because it's a consequence of a choice", Mewtwo said and after releasing the program into the environment, the device released its connection from Gou's mind and Articuno. Then it closed the link between the pokemon and the trainer. </p><p> </p><p>Gou fainted at that moment and the researcher drained the liquid and took him out of the glass casket. The moment they moved him to a safe distance, Mewtwo destroyed the machine and wiped all of the data. </p><p> </p><p>"This must not be repeated. There are safer synchronization methods that don't require mind connection between the pokemon and a trainer", said Mewtwo. </p><p> </p><p>"It comes from the heart", Mewtwo added. He looked at Ash and teleported Ash, Gou and Pikachu back to Professor's Sakuragi lab. </p><p> </p><p>"Now that Articuno is free, she will return home", said Mewtwo. </p><p> </p><p>"Thank you for helping me, Mewtwo". </p><p> </p><p>"Until we meet again, Ash". </p><p> </p><p>And like that, Mewtwo disappeared. </p><p> </p><p>------</p><p> </p><p>The sunlight softly fell upon the bedroom and Gou stirred from his sleep. He sat up and looked around him. </p><p> </p><p>When he turned to look at the side, he saw another person sleeping there. Then he thought to himself, </p><p> </p><p>"Where am I and what am I doing here?" </p><p> </p><p>He looked at his own hand, realizing that he couldn't even remember anything about himself. Panicking, Gou left the room in just pajamas, running with just his bare feet to wherever he could go. </p><p> </p><p>He kept repeating," My name is Gou", Because that's the only thing he could remember about himself. </p><p> </p><p>Then he found himself standing at the edge of a cliff. </p><p> </p><p>He stood there for a while until he heard the noise of a Dragonite landing behind him. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't come near me", Gou said without turning to look.</p><p> </p><p>"Why?" the person asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Because I don't know who you are. I don't know who I am. I don't know if I have a family and a home. I remembered nothing", he answered. </p><p> </p><p>"I know everything about you", the person said, "And I do know where you belong". </p><p> </p><p>"Then help me find it", Gou said, turning around, his hair swept by the gentle wind. </p><p> </p><p>Ash offered out his hand.</p><p> </p><p>"You have my promise". </p>
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